Normal life? What's that?
by teddy xoxo
Summary: A three way collaboration between Scribbler95, Bibliophilekatrina and Teddy Twilightxoxo. What happened in those nineteen missing years?


**This is a joint story between Scribbler95, Bibliophilekatrina and Teddy_Twilightxoxo. Enjoy!**

**We do not own Harry Potter but we spend every day wishing we did!**

Harry looked around. He didn't hear the reporters, closing in asking questions, he didn't see Voldemort's body lying on the stone floor. All he saw was a mass of red hair flying towards him. Ginny stood before him with a strange expression on her face. As if (for the first time he could recall) she couldn't remember how to be angry. Well he thought this until she punched him in the nose.

"Owww..." Harry shouted, clutching his nose, his glasses fell to floor and he felt something warm and wet flow over his lips. He looked at Ginny with astonishment. "What was that for?" he said feeling unjustified, he had just saved the entire wizard-kind and this what he got?

"I thought you were dead you selfish world saving bastard" she said echoing the colorful language of her older brother who was at this point laughing his head off. The surrounding crowds were torn between shock that someone had punched the great Harry Potter and trying not to laugh at the fact that this great hero had just been punched by a girl. The crowd converged upon the injured Harry and once they backed off he had a fixed nose, was blood free and (Ginny noticed with distaste) had lipstick on his cheek.

"Well I couldn't really tell you I wasn't could I? He would have killed me for real!"

Ginny didn't know how to reply to that, so like a true Weasley, she did the only thing she could do; glared at him. Her red hair was in disarray, and, her cheeks were smudged with what Harry hoped was only mud, and she was fuming, but Harry couldn't help thinking how amazing she looked, even in this state. Quite suddenly she launched herself at him with such force they almost fell over backwards. All those months of being apart converged in that one kiss. The feel of her lips, the scent of her hair, Harry noticed all the little things right there and then. Ginny pulled back slowly, suddenly aware that she had just made the biggest public display of affection in Hogwarts history, against her will she began to blush a deep shade of cherry red

"I take it then, I am forgiven?" Harry said jokingly, braving a smile. Ginny couldn't help but laugh at this. Ron walked quietly behind Harry, unnoticed by either him or Ginny, and whispered "Right, so I guess this means you two are a couple again?" half hoping Harry was going to say "No, it was just a friendly gesture" he still obviously had not come to terms with the idea of Harry and his little sister.

"I don't know, you know what women are like" Harry replied confused.

Ginny, who had ears like a hawk, heard all of this.

"Yes it does"

Ron paled and wobbled slightly. Hermione, who had been watching this display with a pleased smirk on her face, decided to intervene. Rather forcefully she grabbed Ron, whirled him around and crashed her lips to his. She drew back to see Ron's surprised expression.

"Now that I have your attention, and possibly the front page of the daily prophet if that man" she pointed towards a weedy looking man with a camera "has anything to do with it. Your mother wants to see you, Ginny and Harry."

"OK" Ron walked away briskly, shell shocked, over to his mother, not wanting to anger or upset her further. His Father was carrying Fred's body, his face tear stained. Ron meekly smiled, trying to ignore Fred's lifeless body. George was staring at his Twin motionless. Ron didn't know whether to feel pity for his older brother or sadness for himself.

"H-h-ermione" he said, his voice breaking "said you wanted to see us"

"Yes dear, I just wanted to make sure everyone was still here" Ron looked around at the faces of the rest of Weasley family, Percy was guilt stricken, Ron could see it on his face.

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Weasley."

They all looked at Harry who couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Fred.

"Don't be silly Harry you saved us all there's no need to be sorry."

But..."

"No I won't hear of it. Good gracious you've gotten skinny."

Harry finally managed to distract his gaze from Fred, and looked at Mrs Weasley and smiled politely. It was only now he realized how much Ginny looked liked her mother. Harry then decided to look away from the Weasley's, he wanted to make sure that everyone else was alright, that there was no more casualties. In the corner of his eye he spotted Narcissa Malfoy, her blonde hair out of her usual tidy ponytail, and sticking out. She looked distraught, Harry feebly walked towards her.

"Thanks" he mumbled, almost regretting actually thanking a Malfoy. But he knew Naricssa was the one Malfoy who genuinely deserved it.

"You're very welcome" she replied. Harry smiled weakly, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He span around to see who it was; it was Hermione.

"Harry, I think you need to come and see this"

He turned back to Narcissa and waved goodbye, and she reciprocated his wave with a smile. Hermione dragged him away from the corner towards where Tom Riddle had met his end. But instead of the snake-like corpse he had last seen there Harry saw only a pile of what appeared to be dust.

"What happened?" Asked Harry. Fears of Voldemorts rising again filling his mind.

"We don't know. He just... disintegrated."

Fears settled now he could think.

"Well he was very old. Maybe its just his age catching up with him."

Hermione put her hands on her hip whilst biting her lip, she could not have been more worried if she had tried. On the positive side, thankfully, this incident with Voldemort had made her forget temporarily about the situation with Ronald. That is until it reared its ugly head again.

"Ummmm...... Hermione"

She heard Ron say behind her nervously.

"Yes... Ronald?" She said trying to keep her cool, but she had a feeling it wasn't working very well. She ran her hands through her bushy brown hair, and followed as Ron lead aside.

"Look, Hermione, I wanted to talk about..... you know... the...... the kiss" Ron was practically shaking, he couldn't remember a time when he was more scared.

"OK" Hermione replied.

"Well, ummm...... where do you want it to lead?"

"Well, what do you mean?"

"Urmmmmm..... I mean did you want to start going out? Or was it a one off?"

Hermione had to think about this.

"Well, which did you want it to be?"

"I wouldn't mind going out really"

"Well in that case..."

She captured her lips with his yet again and for a moment he forgot that they were now celebrities. Well he forgot until a camera went off.

Aww. Harry Potter's ex lover now partnered with his best friend!"

Ron truly hated Rita Skeeter. Hermione didn't like her any more than Ron did.

"Oh, we're not partnered" As soon as Ron said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Hermione's eyes glared at him, her nostrils flared. Ron's stomach felt like it had a 100 tonne weight in their.

"What? You have just said you want, and I quote go out with me" Hermione was almost yelling. Ron backed away. Rita Skeeter made some sort of dramatic noise and spoke some more ramblings into her annoying green quill.

"I mean we're not partnered. That sounds t forced and unless I am a complete lunatic I didn't force you to kiss me!"

Hermione froze. Her hand suspended in the air just inches away from giving Ron a very large bruise.

"That is the sweetest thing you have ever said!"

They embraced and Rita spoke to the quill again twisting the truth into something that was as true as Voldemort was sweet. Suddenly a scarred hand shot out and grabbed the quill.

"Well well well if it isn't the boy who lived himself"

Harry glared at her.

"Skeeter let me make this clear: You have five seconds to tear up that parchment."

"And what if I don't"

He flexed his hand. The quill used to write so many hurtful lies snapped like a brittle twig.

"You little brat! You filthy half-blooded arse! You"

She turned to see the whole hall staring at her in shock and disgust.

"I have heard too many lies about my family and the people I care about from you to let you ruin the lives of my best friends. Now the parchment if you will."

She reached out and, glaring at Harry all the while, tore the parchment.

"Lies You're one to talk! Where have you been while people suffered? Died? You're nothing but a teenage nutcase with an over inflated ego!"

The Weasleys closed in on her. She backed off slightly.

"What did you just say?"

Noticing her mistake she backed towards the door.

"You, Dumbledore, you're all mad!"

That was it.

"DO NOT EVER INSULT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IN FRONT OF ME!"

Harry ran for her and she turned and high-tailed it out of the hall closely pursued by an angry mob. She ran down corridors, jumping over rubble and running up stairs until she reached the astronomy tower. Harry stopped in the doorway. He hadn't been there since he saw Dumbledore murdered.

"Well come on then Potter!"

She was backing towards the edge.

"Rita stop."

"Think you can catch me? Think you can stop me just by asking Potter?"

He raised his arms slowly.

"Rita I'm not trying to catch you just please stop."

She kept backing away.

"RITA STOP!"

The crowd saw Rita Skeeter fall. Harry alone saw her expression. Her face was a mixture of sudden fear and the smirk left from her taunting. For the first, and last, time in her life Rita Skeeter looked vulnerable.

Harry stood motionless, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

**Just so you know it is incredibly hard to write a three way story especially as one of us is in year ten, one in sixth form and one in college so bear with us!**


End file.
